Indonesia’s unexpected second chance of hosting a global soccer tournament gets underway Friday when the Under-17 World Cup kicks off in Surabaya.
The soccer-loving nation of almost 280 million is determined to put on its best show, on and off the field, just months after it was stripped of the Under-20 World Cup hosting rights amid political turmoil over Israel’s participation.
In the same month, FIFA granted Indonesia hosting rights for the U-17 tournament after doubts over Peru’s preparedness. Indonesia was involved in a short-lived attempt to host the 2034 World Cup. But one week after revealing talks with Australia about bidding to co-host in 2034, Thohir said his federation supporting the Saudi bid, all but ensuring that Saudi Arabia will host in 2034.
Indonesia, which has grappled with long-standing issues of violence at domestic soccer games, is also aiming to show a year later that it can host safely after the Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster, when 135 fans died in East Java in a stampede for the exits after police fired tear gas in October last year.
The event is also a significant moment on the field. Indonesia has not appeared at any World Cup since participating in the 1938 tournament as Dutch East Indies. The team starts against Ecuador on Friday in Surabaya before taking on Panama and Morocco.
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